CRITICAL SPECTATORS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 135, 12 June 1929, Page 11

CRITICAL SPECTATORS

.:■':'-:: (By: Telegraph.) : (Special to' "Jhei Evening Post")

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Bad fortune seems to have pursued the Railway* Department lately. Trains were lato leaving Dunedin yesterday, and tho evening train to Ashburton from Christchurch on Monday was held up through engine trouble at Dunsandel. The engine to which tho damage occurred yesterday was AC.611. Among the passengers by the train were some of the directors of the Union Steam Ship Company.

It is remarkable that two rods should have broken at once. They were not corresponding rods. Whon -the train crew set to work to make repairs, they seemed to be ill-provided with suitable tools, but after the arrival of a relief engine at 10.15 pan., chisels and a heavy hammer, were obtained and work was commenced by tho crews of both locomotives to remove the broken rods, so that the engine and train could be '.towed to Burriham.

There was some, caustic comment when the relief .engine arrived without carriages, as it was neld that ifcjthese had been provided ; the passengers, by the express .might -have, been in Christchurch by 11.30 p.m. The engine had to return to Christchurch for carriages, causing more delay. '■•■..-

The relief, train arrived on the scene at 12.50 a.m., nearly four hours after the aceident,.its approach being indicated byi the'explosion of detonators on the line.;' When it left for Christchurch workmen: "were; -still busy' ,with hammer and chisel on. the disabled locomotive. The relief train arrived in the city at .1.45 a.m. and was met by; a large crowdl ■ .